How To Make Friends As An Adult

Okay, so this is a post on how to make friends as an out-of-school adult—or how to make friends in general. As a usually-sociable adult-type person, I’m here to give you some ideas on how to find these mythical creatures we call friends.

The easiest way to make friends is through common interests: hobbies, sports, culture, religion, etc. But how do you find people who share these common interests with you? Let’s see…

Volunteering:
Do you like helping people, animals, and plants in need? Then consider joining a volunteer organisation! This is a great way to make friends while lending a helping hand to those who need it. You can search for volunteer opportunities at your local community center, library, church, or shelter by just going in or calling by phone. You can also search for opportunities online via a few search engines.
A good tip is to keep volunteering with the same organisation for multiple events. You’ll be more likely to run into the same people, and that will give you a good “in” to start a nice, shiny new friendship! I’ve been volunteering at the same place for the last 3 years, and I’ve made several close friends with staff members and volunteers alike.

Community Organisations:
Community Organisations (CO’s) are a great way to meet people who both live near you and maybe share common interests with you! CO’s include churches, volunteer organisations (see above), community recreation centres, and more. Do you like to dance? Maybe join a Zumba class at your local Park District or gym. Maybe you want to learn a new skill and your local Park District or Historical Society is holding a blacksmithing class. Fire, brimstone, and friendship for the win! Or maybe you want to worship your god or deity or whatever and plan on joining a church. Or maybe your local game centre is holding a MarioKart tournament. If you’re going to a CO once a week, you are bound to see the same people over and over again—easy path to friendship!

Sports and Recreation:
Maybe you’re a more physically active individual? Running gets high or something like that? Then meet more like-minded people! Join a gym or maybe work out at your local YMCA. There are also groups of people who meet everyday and go hiking, running, biking together,… Or you can check out if your local park district has a gym or pool, as well. Try searching local community boards or internet spaces for biking groups, ultimate Frisbee teams, or even tennis buddies.

Work:
Yes, you can be friends with your coworkers (and not just ‘facebook friends’). This can be somewhat tricky depending on your work environment. If you are a good employee and coworker—pull your own weight, arrive on time, don’t pull stupid crap—then it can be really easy to make friends at work. Some of my favourite people are former coworkers.
The downside to having coworkers as friends is when one of you leaves for a new job, and you see each other less. Then you have to put in the effort to remain friends. After all, it’s easy being friends with someone you see often.

Home:
Aw, yess. You can make friends at home. This may be hard for those of you who live in homes that are isolated from your neighbours, but for anyone dwelling in apartments, condos, duplexes, or even the ‘burbs, you have potential friends living, like, right next to you. Seriously. If you recently moved, making friends with your neighbours is as easy as going next door and introducing yourself. “Hi, I’m [your name here, bitch], and I just moved into this building. I just wanted to introduce myself to the neighbours and get to know everyone a little bit.” Or if someone new has moved in, you can go over and say hello, as well (welcome them to the neighbourhood and stuff). This will not always be 100% successful, as people are kind of wary of strangers these days, but if you’re nervous, you can always just do a friendly wave and smile. Eventually, you may just start speaking to each other regularly.
Heck, some apartment and/or condo complexes have these common room area things or gyms or pools that make perfect places to get to know your neighbours and hunt out potential friends. The apartment management may even throw holiday parties or summer fun events or whatever that will enable you to meet people, too (and there’s usually free food too)